The present invention is drawn to methods for recovering and/or processing a viscous hydrocarbon material and conditioning same as a hydrocarbon-in-water emulsion for further processing.
Low gravity, viscous hydrocarbons found in Canada, The Soviet Union, United States, China and Venezuela are normally liquid with viscosities ranging from 10,000 to more than 500,000 centipoise at ambient temperatures and API gravities of less than 12. These hydrocarbons are currently produced either by steam injection in combination with mechanical pumping, mechanical pumping itself, or by mining techniques. Because of the nature of the viscous hydrocarbon materials their use in today's markets are limited. In order to develop these resources commercially it is highly desirable to provide methods for recovering, processing and transporting the viscous hydrocarbons so that they are usable commercially as a raw material for the production of various products and/or uses.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide methods for the formation, processing, transportation and end use of a hydrocarbon-in-water emulsion.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.